The Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine will be holding monthly seminars to showcase the research conducted by numerous professors and students. This month, on Friday, Sept. 1, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at NSU’s College of Pharmacy Malav Trivedi, Ph.D. will give a seminar on his research having to do with the neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease affects the neurons in the brain, which leads to motor abnormalities — such as shaking and problems walking — and dementia. “There is a lot of new funding possibilities coming along with Parkinson’s disease,” said Trivedi, “being a young researcher, I try to find my own niche, so I think I am creating my own niche in this Parkinson’s field right now.”
As of right now, researchers do not know exactly why the neurons in the brain are dying. “We study in the lab genetic risk factors as well as the environmental factors that can lead someone to develop oxygen stress and then further down the line, Parkinson’s disease,” Trivedi explained. The hope is that researchers can catch Parkinson’s disease early on. During the seminar Trivedi will go into further detail as to what factors could be the causes of Parkinson’s disease, the working hypotheses and what methods are used in the lab.
Trivedi also hopes that students get more out of his presentation than just what his own research is covering. “What I really hope that students get out of this [seminar] is that [NSU] is evolving as a science and research hub,” he said. “[I want] them to see the potential the [NSU] researchers have.”
With the recent addition of the Center for Collaborative Research, Nova Southeastern University has put a lot of focus on expanding research opportunities. Trivedi stated, “we always welcome undergraduate and graduate students in the lab… maybe they might get excited by [the research] and eventually follow that as a career.”
Amanda Palmieri, a first year pharmacy student, supported Trivedi’s statement. She said, “They [seminars] give students an idea of opportunities related to their field of study which they may not have been too familiar with beforehand.” Palmieri expanded, “in my case, pharmacy is well known for retail positions such as CVS, Walgreens and Publix, when, in fact, the scope of pharmacy extends farther beyond that.”
The seminar will take place in room 242 on the second floor of the Center for Collaborative Research from 12-1:30 p.m. Visit nsunews.nova.edu for more information.
